DOVER — At $54,800,198, the proposed 2013 calendar year budget for Strafford County is an increase of 2.462 percent over the current budget, though commissioners say they are comfortable that the figure still comes in under the tax caps for both Dover and Rochester.

Information for the city of Somersworth, where residents recently approved a tax cap, was unavailable.

Commissioners announced Monday morning their proposed budget for calendar year 2013 and said they were happy with work conducted over the last three months between other elected officials and department heads in the county to bring the budget in under tax caps.

One of the budget items highlighted during Monday's first public commissioners meeting of 2013 was what officials are calling a “critical juncture” in funding the county attorney's office properly as salaries for attorneys in the office have gone unaddressed, leaving the county vulnerable to losing experienced attorneys to private practice, other counties or the defense bar, the budget proposal reads.

Present for the meeting was County Attorney Tom Velardi, who said commissioners efforts to address this issue are greatly appreciated and that he looks forward to presenting the budget to the delegation.

A public hearing presenting the budget to the county delegation will be held Wednesday, Jan. 30, with a snow date scheduled for a week later on Wednesday, Feb. 6.

Also included in the proposed amount is restored funding for the supervised family visitation program, which was cut from the budget in 2010 after being run for about 20 years in the county. The funding for the program will be offset 100 percent by grant revenues sought through judges, service providers, and county prosecutors who applied for a federal grant to “replicate and expand” the program. As such, it will now continue at no cost to county taxpayers.

A tentative agreement with union-represented employees and an equivalent agreement with non-union represented employees has been accepted and is funded through this budget, though its exact wording is still being worked out.

Commissioner Robert Watson complimented the hard work he said county department heads have put in to help create the budget, acknowledging in particular County Administrator Ray Bower.

“I think it's an excellent budget that we're able to come in below the tax caps with no cuts in service,” he said.

New to his position as county commissioner, former registrar of deeds, Leo Lessard, said he was grateful to current commissioners, including former commissioner Catherine Cheney, for welcoming him into the fold and to participate in meetings for the development of this budget.

“I'm very impressed with the quality of leadership in this county,” Lessard said.